Marzadro

From Brancolino to the world: How Attilio and Sabina Marzadro reinvented Trentino Grappa

1949 marks the beginning of the distillery's history in Brancolino di Nogaredo, a small village in the Vallagarina Valley south of Rovereto. Attilio Marzadro and his sister Sabina dared to take the step of distilling something lasting from the pomace of regional winemakers — which was considered a waste product of the grape harvest at the time. The first grappas were created in a still built by a local craftsman; Attilio initially delivered the bottles to the surrounding villages using a Moto Guzzi with a sidecar. From this unspectacular beginning, one of Italy's most famous grappa houses grew. In 1978, the second generation — Elena, Erino, Stefano, and Andrea Marzadro — took over the company and consistently pushed both production capacity and stylistic range. Today, Stefano manages the family business together with his brother Andrea, the master distiller, and his sister Anna; the third generation is thus fully behind the operation. In 2005, the distillery moved into a modern building on the Via per Brancolino — glass, stone, and wood, architecturally embedded in the vineyards of the Vallagarina, with a striking glass dome structure over the distillation room.

Bagnomaria, wooden barrels, and strict control: The Marzadro craft philosophy

At the core of the Marzadro philosophy is a simple principle: grappa is only as good as the pomace it comes from. The family therefore works with a fixed selection of carefully chosen wine estates from Trentino, whose pomace is delivered fresh daily and distilled on the same day. The distillation itself takes place exclusively using the discontinuous Bagnomaria process — the classic water-bath steam system that has been part of Trentino grappa culture for generations. This gentle process protects volatile aromas from overheating and preserves the varietal fruitiness of the raw material.

Aged bottlings are stored in a mix of oak, acacia, cherry, and ash barrels; individual reserves spend several years in small wooden barrels. Every grappa that leaves the distillery is checked for origin, production steps, and sensory profile by the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino — founded in 1968 in the province of Trento. In addition, the Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige handles laboratory analysis, and the Trento Chamber of Commerce handles organoleptic approval. This three-stage control makes Marzadro grappa a certified distillate with a clearly documented quality chain.

From white pomace to Crema Alpina: What to expect from the Marzadro range

The heart of the range is the grappa lines: from clear, varietal white spirits — including distillates from Gewürztraminer or Chardonnay, which directly reflect the fruitiness of the grape — to wood-aged Stravecchia bottlings with 18 or 36 months of barrel aging. The best-known product, Le Diciotto Lune, matures for 18 months in a mix of fine woods and shows nut, cherry, and vanilla aromas with an oily, long finish. In addition, Andrea Marzadro experiments as master distiller with unusual vessels: the Anfora line matures in clay amphorae and results in a softer, fruit-focused character without wood influence.

In addition to the grappa range, liqueurs and Crema Alpina bottlings are created in Nogaredo — from hazelnut to pistachio and lemon to salted caramel and fior di latte — as well as the Bellabomba egg liqueur. This line follows the same premise as the grappa: regional ingredients, clear recipe, no reliance on laboratory aromas. For liqueur lovers and grappa beginners alike, it is an entry into the Trentino distillation culture that has remained in family hands since 1949.